To Sardinia with love: part two

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, which explains the temperature of the water as well as the subtropical climate. The coasts of Sardinia are generally high and rocky with deep bays and many smaller islands off the coast. The perfect place for the perfect break.
The environment is natural and involving, making you breathe deeply and relax. All the colours transport you to some magic places, where time is not running and everything is alive.

TO STAY

Olbia - Costa Smeralda was our choice. Located in the north of Sardinia, it's very close to some famous tourists areas, like Porto Cervo and La Maddalena, places we had the opportunity to visit as well.
I believe renting a small house instead of staying in a hotel is a better option. So, we opted for Airbnb, as you guys already know if you are following me, and it was definitely a good choice. Staying in a small house, with your own schedules, is the best way to enjoy the island for sure. And we loved the comfort of a "real" house, making us feel as if we'd never left home.

TO DO

Porto Istana

Every morning we took this path leading us to the beach right next to home. To our beach, as we used to call it. But the real name is actually Porto Istana beach. It's a small and very pretty one. The crystal and clean sea made us happy.

The traditional beach bar had an amazing ciabatta, proper Italian bread with really tasteful tomato and vegetables. Simple things make me smile.
And I can't also forget the internet connection that saved my life.

Everyday, after lunch, we used to do beach-hopping.
The island is popular for the white sand beaches and crystal-clear sea. Perfect for sun-seekers. So, hitting the beach is definitely a must do.

La Cinta

La Cinta is another beach that we just loved. It was our bet for two days. Sardinia is known for the small, quiet and local beaches, but La Cinta is slightly different. It's a long and paradisiac one, but still quiet. June is one of the best periods to visit the island, when the weather is already perfect and the beaches are quiet. So you can enjoy listening the sea waves song and the silence of the nature.

La Maddalena

One of the days we traveled to La Maddalena. We had to take a boat to the the small paradisiac island of Sardinia. And I would recommend you to spend the whole day there, since the radiant beaches to visit are too many and the centre of La Maddalena is also completely captivating.

My favourite beach is actually situated in this pretty small island. It's undoubtly the most fascinating beach I've ever seen.

We couldn't even find out the name of this lovely place. I believe it doesn't even have a name. It's a very small beach hiding behind a dirt path, nature and rocks. No one would say there's heaven behind all that.

On our way through the dirt path, we found this delightful little chapel.
The colours are adorable and it's surrounded by a sublime blue sea, which makes everything perfect. There are no words to describe what you can experience in this splendid island. Sardinia is completely unpredictable. Behind a rock, you can always find a dreamland.

When I said small beach before, I really meant it. There's no capacity for more than ten towels. So you have basically paradise just for yourself.
We found this magnificent place completely by chance. Such a pleasant surprise!

The centre of La Maddalena is also incredible. The colours are wonderful and the architecture is adorable. Cute Italian style.

Porto Cervo

We also had the opportunity to visit Porto Cervo. The view on our way there were incredible.

Porto Cervo is a popular region of Sardinia. I would say a more touristic one. But it's also excellent.
We visited two beaches there. A small one - as they usually are in Sardinia - accessible via a dirt path and surprising us once we got there.

The other one was slightly more touristic, with more people and surrounded by resorts. But just as perfect as the others.

TO EAT

I believe every place is good to eat in Italy.
I love when the table is filled with different types of cheese, ham, charcuterie, fresh salad and a glass of wine. Each dish is plain, encompassing three or four ingredients at most. But they make sure each component works in harmony and always with an element of surprise.
Italian food can really put a smile on my face.

The local shop

So one of our favourite places was this local shop with some amazing traditional products.
We were on our way to the beach when we found it and our day was definitely much more colourful, if that's even possible.

The colourful focaccia with tomato, rocket and cheese was in my opinion the best option. But the chilly chorizo and cheese rotolini was very good as well. It's not the healthiest option. But when it comes to me, holiday is holiday in every sense of the word.

The 12.1

The 12.1 was also a great option. Perfect for if you are after a dinner with a view.

Literally on the beach, you can enjoy the sand and the freshness of the sea while you enjoy a perfect meal.

The little boat seems to have been put there on purpose, just to complete this art painting. The atmosphere around is comfy, warm and simple.

The food? Well, all the colours and flavours match perfectly. And the smell of the sea just brings an extra touch.

Domus de Mare

We chose Domus de Mare twice. We took the chance on our first day on the island and we couldn't leave without going there again.

The first time was quite funny. The waiters didn't speak english at all. So they kept bringing food to the table while we were trying to explain them we didn't have more space to keep all that. The food is perfect. The best sea pasta I've ever eaten. But prepare yourself beforehand, because they serve this kind of non stop menu. Like a proper happy Italian table. Full.

The waiters, despite the fact they didn't speak english, were really friendly and smiley. And this is one of the most important things for Tiago and I when it comes to choosing a place to enjoy our evenings. A smile is worth more than one thousand words.

And of course we took the chance to enjoy this lovely panna cotta while we wrote the postcards to our families. This is already a tradition. Every time we visit a new place, our families can enjoy a little taste from us.

This time we also wrote a postcard to Marzia, the lady who hosted us, who took care of us as if we were part of the family. 

HOW TO GET THERE AND AROUND

Fly to Olbia airport. The airport is a 20 minutes drive from the city.
I advise you to rent a car to get around if you wanna visit all the paradisiac beaches that the island has to offer. It's very easy to drive there. And the distances between everything are quite reasonable.
We rented a Fiat 500, which made us feel Italians for one week.

Sardinia is my heaven on hearth.

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To Sardinia with love: part one

Since I'm surrounded by Italian people pretty much every day (working at Zara is a multicultural experience, I'm telling you), I had been asking Tiago, the IT boy who I've already spoken about, to take me to Sardinia. I had enough of my friends telling me it is one of the most beautiful places in the world and their Instagram feeds making me anxious. So I went after some real proof. And Sardinia it was.

With my birthday coming and as my skin needs a soft kiss of sun at least once a year (well, the sun is not that soft there, believe me), Tiago found the perfect occasion to give us some quality time together, far away from work, the London underground and everyday routine. Just the two of us. Well, at least that's what we were expecting before we got there and met a really sweet Italian family.

WHERE WE STAYED

You might all have heard about Airbnb. There's always a first time for everything and this was ours. Gone are the days of impersonal hotel towels and twin beds joint together.
A mystery dirt road led us to this pretty and cozy house. Casa Anna. That's how they decided to call it. It's amazing the feeling of wondering what you are gonna find at the end. While we were traversing that path the expectations were not very high but all of a sudden... surprise. It was just happiness.

A very kind and lovely Italian lady was expecting us. Marzia. Her name. Well, a house with my first name and a lady with my second one it has to be just a sweet coincidence and a good start of the perfect week, I thought. And so it was.

Marzia didn't speak english at all. And that's somethig you will struggle with if you are planning to visit Sardinia. As a Portuguese it was not that difficult to understand the fast and loud Italian language. It's kind of similar to Portuguese after all. And working at Zara brought some advantages to my life. So all the gesture language made us laugh pretty much all the time and definitely made the week.

Our room was just perfect. I couldn't ask for more. Cozy, lovely colours, sweet details and perfect lines. The deco made us totally feel at home. Simple and beautiful. The way Marzia stretched the bed sheets everyday made me remind my childhood. Perfectly done as a grandma. My grandma.
She had this attention to detail and precious kindness, putting flowers on my bedside table making me smile every night before closing my eyes.

Every morning there was a high-expectation for breakfast, since Marzia has definitely turned up the heat in the kitchen. Nearly everything that comes out of the kitchen is made in-house, and it will feel like you are sitting around the table of an Italian family home. Actually you are.
Despite not having my every morning mango granola milkshake, all the colours and the relaxed atmosphere made me happy. And let me tell you that the Marzia's vanilla tea is just something. My body didn't even miss the milkshake after all, which is weird.
The breakfast room also has an amazing view towards the well cared and beautiful garden. I could easily get used to it.

Our balcony also holds some special memories.

That's where I would sit everyday after coming back from a long day in a paradisiac beach. Listening to some music and sometimes even drinking some Italian wine while eating the best pomodoro and the softest formaggio.

For a few moments I felt like a completely Italian girl, living the Italian dream. A small home in the middle of nowhere surrounded by love.

The common areas were also just simple perfection.

I just fell in love with the antique piano in the living room. Of course I don't play piano. But the atmosphere there is so overwhelming that I even tried to. Without any success. Me, and everyone around, could tell. 

Let's not forget Sandra. The small Dachshund dog of the house who Marzia takes care of extremely well. She also welcomed us in her home and warmed our hearts. I miss her and her sweet way.

Casa Anna made us feel special.

Airbnb will definitely be from now on our first option. It's a very personal experience for all of us. We miss Marzia and her family but I believe they miss us as well. It's amazing what this experience can bring into you and into your life. Staying with people from different countries and different cultures in their own home.

I will never forget the way Marzia hugged me as we were leaving nor the words she whispered. The Italian words that touched my heart. Meravigliosa. Come una figlia.

We all have different backgrounds but there's something that we all share - we all just want to be happy and enjoy life.

Welcome home with Airbnb.

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